Story of the Blanks: Mother Love
by Siriu
Summary: A look into the events before, during and long after Donitz Story of the Blanks 8-bit game.     Mitta's children have always been special. Always. Just as special as Mitta herself.


Special.

Mitta's children had always been special, hadn't they?

Little Seashell Light and Swandown had been perfect in every conceivable way. Little Shell, with her soft creamy gray coat and fluffy turquoise hair, her huge hazel eyes. Those same eyes that shimmered like deep pools; a combination of wonder and a strange wisdom. A thoughtful child, but so sweet and eager to learn. Swandown, with her pale green eyes staring painfully up in the direction of the sky, trying to see beyond the confines of the roof that blocked her sight from the blue.

Both had a sort of longing in them, even at such an early age. It had made Mitta's heart ache when she watched them slowly grow within the walls of their home. Their first tentative steps began about an hour after she birthed. Nothing unusual for ponies, of course. What had been strange was the little carbuncle on Seashell Light's brow, and the little puffs of fur on Swandown's shoulders.

But what were these but minor incidents on otherwise perfect newborns? Plenty of babies were born with little imperfections that faded with time, after all. It was all apart of the cycle. It was part of the cycle. It wasn't strange, it was nature.

Part of the cycle.

Three Leaf had not been happy. Gladstone had not been happy. Grey Hoof had been... angry to say the least. Nearly six months she had somehow protected her babies, keeping them shut up tightly at home. How had she been found out?

"... I'm afraid they are beyond saving, Mitta." Three Leaf sighed and pushed the bloody utensils off of the table and back into her bag. The green mare lifted her head to see the other. "They'll be better off this way."

The gray pony's body was covered in cuts and rope burns from her restraints, beyond any feelings of pain or panic as her foals breathed their last. Her eyes were wide and empty, and her body sat loosely against the ground, held up only the the ropes.

"They felt no pain, I assure you." Three Leaf continued, trotting over and beginning to cut the other pony down. "That's why they didn't cry."

Mitta's body crumpled pathetically onto the floor, _eliciting_ a tsk from Three Leaf. "Now, don't be that way. If we'd been a bit sooner, we might have been able to do something more. It's your own fault, you know."

Gray Hoof stood off to the side, stonefaced with Gladstone following suit on his left. "They would have never made it in the world, Mitta. Not with their disfigurations."

They approached the unmoving, broken mare on the floor. "Mitta..." Gladstone sighed. "You can always try again. Buck up, okay?"

She said nothing, and after too long, they left her alone. Once some time had passed, Mitta pulled herself up and somehow brought herself to look...

Her screams of agony and grief rang through the forest.

**Yes... But now was different.**

I had my Ruby, and Ruby was perfect. No little stray bones sticking out on her back, no hard little lumps on her head... Perfect. Just as perfect as her sisters, but now it was a perfection I didn't have to shield.

The town, of course, would not let me forget what had happened- though I would never dream of doing so, in any case... Why, they had even made... a part of it. A party of them being gone. Yearly, the entire settlement reveled in innocent pleasures of cakes and pleasant coversation, all in order to celebrate the birth of the first foals born in Sunny Town.

My foals.

We trotted along the well beaten path to the enter of the town, Ruby practically hopping with excitement. I smiled at her enthusiasm, and couldn't help but raise my head slightly as I passed the others of our community. Ruby was _my_ child, **_my_** perfect daughter.

Silently, I challenged them to say otherwise, to point out any nonexistent flaw in Ruby. As I looked into their eyes briefly, nodding a polite greeting, I could see their jealousy. **They WANTED to try it again, to break down everything that was mine.** They wanted to blame mine for their own inadequacies... But they couldn't.

All except for me.. The one flaw in my child was that she did not know why the town was celebrating on this night. She couldn't know. The pain would be as intense for her as it was for me, or she would not care in the slightest, choosing to believe them. THEM. I could never let her fall to them, or to awaken the endless sorrow that had only been quelled with her birth. My heart screamed, my soul cried aloud, but silence was the only way.

"Momma?" Ruby's questioning shattered my reverie, and I felt my face relax from a grimace. I looked into Ruby's golden yellow eyes, matching her mane in shade and luster.

"Are you all right, Momma? Is there something in your hoof?" These same eyes looked at me with a concern so pure and loving...

I smiled genuinely and reassuringly. "Ah, no. Sorry, honey. Just got to thinking again."

My girl's concern softened, but she tilted her head to one side, as she always did when curiosity struck. "About what?"

As she asked the question, the image of them flashed in my mind for a split second. My mouth opened, and my heart wished to scream aloud; to trample my hooves on the ground and go absolutely mad. But, instead I resumed smiling.

"Just what I should make for the party later," I replied, my tone too soft and high-pitched. I saw this reflected in Ruby's clever, perfect eyes. **_How like them.._**. I push the thought back to its place of unrestful sleep, in the corner of my mind. Pushed aside, like the cradle and the blankets and miniscule toys of my daughters before.

My child blinked, and nodded, her curious nature willing to leave her beloved mother faultless. "Okay... I'm sure they have enough for everypony without you, though, Momma." She smiled.

As I lovingly returned the gesture, we were interrupted by the sound of somepony clearing their throat. I wheeled around, a little too quickly, to meet with Three Leaf's smiling face. One of my eyelids fluttered down for a moment, then I pulled myself together and forced myself to smile.

Ruby took her place next to me, unaware of what the emerald colored mare before her was responsible for. "Hello, Miss Three Leaf."

Leaf nodded, the smile still staining her features. "And hello to you, Miss Ruby! Mitta, I was wondering if we might have a talk. Privately."

She curls her mouth around the words, holding Ruby's name like a coyote holds a rat. One part of me wants to turn and buck my daughters name from her lips, to crush and trample until she can never dirty my child again by knowing her name.. But I don't. The part of me that still feels the ropes biting into her throat is the surface Mitta. She cowers visibly and nods.

"Ah, sure... Ruby, can you go play for a little bit? Not too far?" I already know the answer as I begin to ask, and so does Ruby.

She nods, and trots off of the path into the field around Starlet's home. Starlet isn't home, so I can allow it for a while... Once my child is gone, Three Leaf's smile turns to me.

"... She's a lovely filly, Mitta." She speaks low, almost conspiratorially. As if the secret we share is merely about how worthy Ruby is... I suppose it is, in a way...

I nod, slowly. "Thank you. She's growing up so fast, it's hard to keep up sometimes." **Strike her.**

She can see them in my eyes, can't she? See them and how even now my love for them, and hatred for her have never wavered. Her smile widens.

"I can bet!" The green pony moves a step closer to me, and I can smell the rank odor of her profession under layers of soap and dust. Bile burns my throat. "I've been meaning to ask you, Mitta... How long has it been?"

Her dark green eyes glimmer with hateful delight as she watches my face contort with pain. "... Since what?"

"Since the last anniversary, of course!" She giggles coyly.

I am floored by her, or I would be if she was even pretending to not know. "I haven't counted." I reply, carefully measuring the coldness in my tone.

Her smile tightens, a sign of her displeasure. "Mitta... For your sake, and for Ruby's..." She leans in and whispers in a raspy voice. "I hope you have kept count." Before I can respond, she grins and trots away from me.

The anger drains from my body as does the strength in my legs. I shakily manage to stay upright, and frantically look around for Ruby. She is not near Starlet's house anymore... Nor anypony else's, it seems. My trot turns into a panicked canter as I search for her, seemingly in vain.

It's not until I enter the area near the town's entrance that I can breathe easily again. Ruby is only hooves away from me, approaching Roneo with something in her mouth. My eyelid twitches again, but I think nothing of it. As I begin my approach, I can see Roneo's face light up as he takes a large red gem from Ruby, and takes it to the red-maned filly standing by the tables laid out with food.

My daughter is such a wonderful, helpful filly. My smile is slow and warm, and I am so entranced by Ruby's prideful expression, neither of us notice the glimmer of light emanating from her flank...

Starlet and her new beau are the first to see it. Before I can comprehend what's happening, the red-maned filly screams bloody predator and hurls her gift at Ruby. The stone strikes my small child square on the temple, and she falls to the ground. Horror driving me, I gallop to her side.

By now Grey Hoof and Gladstone have also swarmed to the scene, and I watch as their expression darken when they lay eyes on my daughter and me. Ruby sits up, confused and nearly in tears. I press myself over her, ears flattened defensively as they surrounded us.

Grey Hoof is the first to speak after Starlet's screaming has quieted down. "What happened here?" His voice is deceptively calm, but I know him well enough to see the rage hidden just under the surface.

Roneo- **TRAITOR**- is the first to speak. "Her flank! It glowed, an' now SOMETHING'S on her body!" He jabs an accusing hoof at Ruby, now pressed against me in fear. His little couturière nods. "It was freakish!" How could they!

I wrap my forelegs around my child defensively. "LIARS!" I scream, letting all my pent up bile wash over them in a burst of anger. "Ruby has done NOTHING!"

All is quiet for a moment, before Three Leaf glares. "Let us see."

My eyes widen as the ponies around me all follow suit, demanding to see the 'thing' that supposedly appeared on my daughter's body. I hold her tighter.

I scream when Gladstone rears up, bringing his hooves down to close to Ruby. I wheel back, my foreleg slipping from around her shoulder before I can pull her back as well. She cries out as well when he yanks her backwards with his teeth, away from me. I prepare to rush him, but Starlet and Roneo flank me on either side, slamming their bodies into my sides and forcing the air from my lungs. I lay stunned on the ground as Grey hoof forces my weeping Ruby to her hooves.

The entire populace stares at the filly... At the strange shape seemingly burned into the fur on either of her flanks. Ruby's golden eyes are filled with tears, as she looks back as well.

Gladstone is the one who reacts first. "There's a mark..! She has a MARK burned onto her! The wretch is CURSED!"

I am chilled to the blood as the words exit his mouth. No... Not again... This isn't happening. Ruby is perfect- her perfection is LIKE THEM. THEY CANNOT REJECT HER. **SHE IS NOT DIFFERENT!** I try to stand, but Starlet bats my shoulder with her front hoof. Then, she is screaming at me.

"IT'S YOU! YOU ALWAYS GIVE BIRTH TO FREAKS!" She's normally so quiet... The searing pain in my shoulder keeps me from leaping up and returning her blow tenfold. and Roneo pulls her off. To my horror, they circle Ruby.

"Momma!" She cries, before somepony kicks at her with their hoof. My scream of rage fuels me as I find my strength and stand, but as I do, the three from hell surround me.

Gladstone, his superstitious face indignant at my display- I hate him. Three leaf is... smiling, as tough this was the most amusing thing she'd ever laid eyes on. And Grey Hoof's anger is palpable, dripping from his lips as foam.

"Mitta..." Three Leaf whispers. "She has to go."

My rage drains, blood from my features. Gladstone and Grey Hoof angrily block my path, and the green mare smiles wide as a sliced throat. "She'll destroy us all if we let the curse live on."

'Cursed.' Again... I feel a phantom rope tighten around my neck, a noose of fear to tear me back. My power fades, leaving only my fears... I can hear the sound of foals crying in my head, and Ruby's screams of terror surround me. My vision goes blank... And I sit.

Three Leaf smiles. "For once, you've made the right choice." She turns, and I see that she has her bag of medical supplies around her neck. "Come on, then."

Grey Hoof seethes at me for a moment, and Gladstone gives me the evil eye before following after his accursed compatriot. The stone colored colt before me speaks. "I suggest you find a way to stop having children." He then smiles at my helpless stillness, and turns.

My muscles turn to lead as the mob begins to holler in unison, their steady beat only broken by Ruby's screams. Oh, sweet Moon and Stars... I clamp my eyes closed, and try to keep the sounds of her... of their dying away.

**End of Part 1**


End file.
